McCartney divorce battle continues
London, February 11, 2008 Mills, 40, looked tense and said nothing as she entered a
courtroom at London's Royal Courts of Justice wearing a gray suit
and bright pink shirt.
McCartney, 65, arrived at court after his estranged wife, also
wearing a gray suit. He said "good morning" as he entered court
carrying a large black case.
Unlike most British court hearings, divorce proceedings are
heard in private, and the door of Court 34 bore a sign reading "No
Admittance - Strictly Private."
The hearing before Justice Hugh Bennett is scheduled to last
five days. The terms of any settlement would not become public
record unless it moved to the Court of Appeal, or either of the
parties chooses to reveal details.
That has not stopped a frenzy of media interest and speculation.
Dozens of photographers staked out entrances to the court Monday,
while two news helicopters hovered overhead.
Press reports have suggested that McCartney has offered his wife
around $50 million, and that she is seeking at least double that
amount.
"Current estimates suggest that Heather is likely to receive
anything from 50 million to 100 million pounds ($100-200 million)
as her final settlement," said Suzanne Kingston, a family law
expert.
"The fact that this has been a short marriage will be taken
into account and this could involve looking at the wealth that has
been generated during the course of the marriage as distinct from
premarital wealth," Kingston added.
Mills intends to represent herself. She fired her lawyers in
November after a series of interviews in which she accused
McCartney of failing to protect her and their 4-year-old daughter
Beatrice from abuse, which she says ranges from lies and slander to
death threats.
"We've had death threats, I've been close to suicide. I'm so
upset about this," she said in one of her November interviews.
"I've had worse press than a pedophile or a murderer, and I've
done nothing but charity for 20 years."
"I am the one that is abused daily," she added.
"I have protected Paul for this long and I am trying to protect
him but I am being pushed to the edge and I don't want my daughter
when she is 12 going on the Internet and reading this totally
one-sided story."
Mills' left leg was amputated below the knee after a motorcycle
accident in 1993, and she became active in campaigning against land
mines, as patron of Adopt-A-Minefield.
The couple married in June 2002, and their daughter was born in
October the following year. They announced their separation in
2006, and McCartney filed for divorce alleging "unreasonable
behavior" by his wife.